Union County News Briefs: Aug. 24

Traffic squad volunteers needed
WEDDINGTON – People interested in helping direct traffic during an emergency situation or at other town events are needed in Weddington.

Members of the Community Emergency Response Team would be called on for events that required more manpower than local law enforcement departments can provide. Members will be provided with all needed equipment and be under the umbrella of a volunteer firefighter with the sole duty and certification of traffic control.

The call for volunteers comes out after the town recently had to deal with shutting down intersections on three occasions for fires. Due to limited manpower, the incidents have taxed local authorities.

Anyone interested in helping can contact Chief Joshua Dye of the Providence Volunteer Fire Department at chief@providencevfd.com. The department is the primary fire department for Weddington, and will offer training for the creation of a traffic squad.

Baked items for both humans and animals will be available each day during the sale from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Costs for items will vary and donations will be accepted. Donations benefit the Patriot Rover organization, a group which works to provide professionally trained and certified psychiatric service dogs to veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries as a result of their service.

Find more information on the event at the veterinary clinic’s website, www.carolinavet.com, or by calling Brooke Bickelhaupt at 704-815-3939.

BBQ dinner to benefit The Tree House
MONROE – A special BBQ dinner and family evening will raise money next month for The Tree House Children’s Advocacy Center.

The event will include dinner, as well as a chance for people to enjoy a corn maze, hay ride, horse shoes, cornhole, a petting zoo and more at Aw Shucks Farms, 3718 Plyler Mill Road in Monroe. Cost to attend is $15 for adults and $10 for children 4 to 12. Children 3 and younger get in free.

Funds raised will benefit The Tree House, which offers a safe environment for abused children and their families to receive comprehensive services to help them in their healing.

For tickets or more information, visit the United Family Service website, www.unitedfamilyservices.org, or call 704-226-1352.

More than 70 teams will take part at the games at the event, which is presented by the Wesley Chapel Weddington Athletic Association. Last year’s event raised around $10,000, and more than 800 youth players will take part this year on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 25 and 26. The event also will include a blood drive on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Wesley Chapel Volunteer Fire Department.

Free skin cancer screenings at CMC-Union
MONROE – Carolinas Medical Center Union will provide free skin cancer screenings next month.
The event, Sept. 5 from 6:15 to 8:30 p.m., is at Edwards Cancer Center at 600 Hospital Drive, in Monroe. Screenings take about five minutes and involve a head-to-toe skin assessment. A health professional will look for suspicious areas, such as discolored or misshapen moles. People with possible skin cancer or precancerous conditions will be referred either to their family physician or a dermatologist for more tests.

People must preregister for the event, and space is limited. For more information, call 704-283-3265.

Local athletes screened for medical issues
INDIAN TRAIL – More than 120 of Union County’s student athletes were screened recently to make sure they’d be safe on the field and court.

Carolinas Healthcare System’s Heart of a Champion Day offers student athletes free screenings, including heart, orthopedic and general medical checks. The Union County event, at Union West Medical Plaza in Indian Trail, screened 124 students. Five of the students required follow-up medical attention because of something found on site.

The annual event screened nearly 2,000 students in the region.

Weddington considers forum on flood plan
WEDDINGTON – The Weddington Town Council will hold a special meeting Friday, Aug. 24, to discuss the need for a joint public hearing with the Union County Board of County Commissioners on the Wesley Chapel Weddington Athletic Association proposed flood mitigation plan.

If council calls for a public hearing on the issue, it will likely be held in September, according to town clerk Amy McCollum in an email to Union County Weekly. The time and place of that meeting will be set Friday.

Also at Friday’s meeting, the town is expected to consider authorizing the tax collector to collect 2012 real property taxes.
Friday’s meeting is at 1 p.m. at town hall, 1924 Weddington Road.

Store re-opening honors military
MONROE – The grand re-opening of the Kangaroo Express at 2226 Lancaster Ave. in Monroe will honor the nation’s military.
Military members and their families will be celebrated with a Salute Our Troops family fun day, according to a news release from Kangaroo Express. The celebration is at the re-opening on Friday, Aug. 24, at the store.
The store has been remodeled with wider aisles and more options. Construction started in April and finished in June. The company in all is reworking 10 percent of its stores this year.